San Marcos police chase ends in car crash

SAN MARCOS  A juvenile driver lost control of a stolen car and crashed Sunday morning during a police chase that began in San Marcos and ended in Escondido, a sheriff’s official said.

The boy driving the red Honda Accord had four male passengers in the car. The driver was spotted by a deputy driving slowly and erratically on Rancheros Drive near Santar Place in San Marcos around 2 a.m., said Sgt. Robert Jennings.

When the deputy tried to pull the car over, the driver sped away.

During the 20-minute pursuit, deputies determined the car had been stolen in Escondido. The chase ended when the driver crashed trying to make a turn and hit a dirt embankment at Cloverdale Road near San Pasqual Valley Road in Escondido.

There was front-end damage to the car, but no one was injured, Jennings said. All five boys in the car were from Escondido and under the age of 18. The driver faces felony charges, Jennings said.